


cling fast

by verity



Series: tween wolf [38]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Breakfast, Friendship, Gen, Ham - Freeform, Pack Feels, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-26
Updated: 2013-05-26
Packaged: 2017-12-13 00:06:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/817631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verity/pseuds/verity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erica holds out a piece of ham for Derek. "You okay?" she asks as he takes it from her. "You're looking kind of peaky."</p><p>"Usually I start the day with Lucky Charms," Derek says.</p>
            </blockquote>





	cling fast

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whiskey_in_tea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiskey_in_tea/gifts), [blue_rocket_frost](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_rocket_frost/gifts), [eriizabeto](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=eriizabeto).



> For Scout and Ashe, who want more Daphne and pull my puppet strings; for Betp, who asked for an entire series of Derek sleeping on people. Thanks to Ashe for giving this a once-over.
> 
> This is update 1 of 2 for today.

Derek is sitting on the couch next to Erica with the plastic bag of sliced deli ham between them on its own paper plate. They're nice plates, heavy Chinet designed to withstand baked beans and dripping mustard greens, overkill for bag support. "You like ham?" he says to Erica, who braved the kitchen to get more after watching him eye her plate for five minutes.

She raises an eyebrow.

"Never mind," Derek says. He stuffs another slice into his mouth.

"It's okay," Erica says. "I'm—tired of meat, that's all. What about you? Is it a, um—werewolf thing?"

Derek chews slowly, swallows. "No. Just—hungry."

"Wanted cereal?" She gives him a sympathetic smile. "Me too."

They're by themselves, Daphne and Lydia arguing in hushed tones in the kitchen, Scott and Stiles having wandered off to find a bathroom somewhere, unable to take a piss without company. If Derek concentrates, he can hear them upstairs, just barely louder than the water running in the sink.

" _I wabt to affk Erica_ ," Stiles is mumbling. " _I thnk she—_ "

" _Do it_ ," Scott says. " _We just gotta, you know, before I get fangy—_ "

Downstairs, Erica holds out a piece of ham for Derek. "You okay?" she asks as he takes it from her. "You're looking kind of peaky."

"Usually I start the day with Lucky Charms," Derek says, shredding the ham with his fingers before he starts nibbling on the bite-size pieces.

He's surprised when Erica laughs.

—

It's Lydia who leaves the kitchen first, scowling at Derek before she heads for the staircase. Erica pretends not to notice. They're both different in the quiet morning hours from how they were at the party last night. "This doesn't freak you out?" Derek says, gathering up the remains of their breakfast. "None of this stuff?"

"No, it's amazing." Erica looks right up at him, all shyness gone. "I'm learning to drive because of _magic_ , that's how Stiles can tell if I'm going to have a seizure. He's—don't tell your sister, okay?—he's teaching me. What if I could—always know? Or get better?"

Derek's been sick once in his whole life, chicken pox, when he was five. He picked at the scabs all day; if he'd been human, they would have scarred. Last night, he sat next to Daphne while she held Erica down and he clung fast to the anchor of _pack, pack, pack_ , while fear pawed at him and Erica trembled like an earthquake. "That's, uh, that sounds like a big deal. We're—it's not scary?"

Erica's nose crinkles up. "The whole world's scary sometimes," she says, handing him her plate. "I don't care."

In the kitchen, Daphne's slouched against the counter, drinking out of her favorite mug with the sheep on it. She watches Derek clean up without saying a word.

"You okay?" Derek says while he's washing the cutlery. He can see the trashed backyard from the window over the sink. "Lydia looked—"

"You're not my fake family," Daphne says, all in one go. "Lydia—she doesn't get it, okay, it's not about her, it's just, my parents—but it's never about her, either, so. I'm not any good at this."

The last time Derek saw Kelly, she told Derek that she hated him. They were just kids, Derek was being a jerk, probably, he doesn't remember—he tries not to think about it, anyway. "Me neither," he says. "We should—have you talked to Laura?"

"Yeah, she's—she'll be here in a little bit." Daphne takes a sip of her coffee. "Wants to talk to everyone."

—

Of course, the teenagers desert them en masse, leaving Derek and Daphne to watch _White Collar_ reruns for the hour and a half until Laura shows up, tired and frazzled, still in uniform. "Jesus fucking Christ," she says, and Derek throws an arm over one shoulder while Daphne comes up under the other, holding her tight to them. "We have to—"

"We're not talking about anything right now," Daphne says. "You need to sleep. We all should."

Derek got a solid eight hours last night, but he doesn't protest, just tugs Laura toward the stairs.

In Daphne's room, they strip down to their underwear, and crawl into her queen size bed, which is just big enough for the three of them. Laura's despair is carving a hollow in Derek's chest, and his wolf is whining, hungry for the comfort of his alpha after the events of last night. Laura lets him and Daphne curl up on her, drops kisses onto their heads. "You're ridiculous," she says, and a little later, "Thanks," which is the last thing Derek registers before he drops off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [ladyofthelog](http://ladyofthelog.tumblr.com) on tumblr.


End file.
